In Your House: Mind Games

(All screen captures are the property of World Wrestling Entertainment)

In Your House: Mind Games

September 22, 1996

CoreStates Center

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

News & Notes: The WWF named Mankind as the number one contender after his victory in the Boiler Room Brawl. He also attacked Shawn before SummerSlam, so Michaels wanted revenge. Paul Bearer vowed to lead his new charge to the WWF title. He explained his betrayal of The Undertaker after SummerSlam. Bearer said he was sick of carrying Taker and sick of the creatures of the night. (He has other reasons. We will learn about those over the following year.) While Mankind and Bearer spoke, druids carried Taker’s body to ringside. This was after Taker caused technical difficulties throughout the program. Pyro exploded from the ring while Taker sat up and confronted Bearer and Mankind. But The Undertaker must wait for his revenge. While Mankind goes for the title, Taker deals with his old nemesis, Goldust.

Meanwhile, two interesting developments happened on a special Friday edition of RAW. Brian Pillman promised Bret Hart would appear at Mind Games. Stone Cold Steve Austin issued a challenge to Bret. But Hart hadn’t decided his future with the company. Bret competed in a South African tour, but he wasn’t back full time. During the tour, Bret called Pillman a liar. He never agreed to appear at Mind Games. Bret also called Owen a liar. Owen claimed he reconciled with his brother after Bret admitted Owen was the better Hart. The other development was a shocking claim by Jim Ross. JR promised the return of Razor Ramon and Diesel. Gorilla Monsoon debunked this. He said Hall & Nash were under contract to another organization. Ross doubled down on his claim. He swore Razor and Diesel would return. (I’ll explain this storyline more in another review. But I want to talk about the fallout from it. Hall & Nash hadn’t signed their full-time contracts yet. This angle spooked Bischoff. He increased his offer and had them sign. This silly storyline from the WWF inadvertently gave Hall & Nash a pay raise. Bischoff felt foolish once he saw how the story panned out.)

The opening video cuts back and forth between the Shawn Michaels/Mankind and Undertaker/Goldust feuds. It’s narrated by someone with an epic-sounding voice—and Todd Pettengill. Mr. Epic Voice tells us to pray for Shawn Michaels if he can’t stop the madness of Mankind. Pettengill speaks about the theater of the mind. Goldust exposes the fears of his opponents and batters their egos. Can The Undertaker overcome betrayal and lower the final curtain on Goldust? Can Shawn Michaels continue living his dream? Or will he awaken in Mankind’s nightmare? The better question is, can we overcome the nightmare of that PPV graphic? That’s horrifying!

Vince McMahon welcomes everyone to Philadelphia and Mind Games. He’s with Jim Ross and Mr. Perfect. JR predicts we’ll see mind, body, and soul games on this show. Mr. Perfect asks Ross what he means. Will the final curtain fall on The Undertaker? Will Shawn Michaels lose his WWF title and his mind? Ross can’t answer because Justin Hawk Bradshaw’s music interrupts them. (On a side note, someone holds up a sign that says, “Vince McMahon for god.” I’m sure Vince loved that.)

During Bradshaw’s entrance, Kevin Kelly interviews Savio Vega. He’s upset at Bradshaw because of what happened on the Free for All. He calls Justin a stinky cowboy. Savio says if Bradshaw wants a match on PPV, he’s got one! Vega then switches to Spanish. He says he’s in Bradshaw’s house and his face. He promises to whip Justin’s butt. Savio stares awkwardly at the camera for a moment before leaving the scene.

Caribbean Strap Match: Savio Vega vs. Justin Hawk Bradshaw (w/ Uncle Zebekiah)

Notes: Savio Vega faced Marty Jannetty on the Free for All. (They’re in Philly. Savio is contractually obligated to make multiple appearances.) He won, but Bradshaw attacked him. Justin complained he wasn’t booked on the PPV. Savio gave him is wish. He challenged Bradshaw to a Strap Match. (What would the PPV begin with if this hadn’t happened? It makes the WWF look unprepared for their show.)

The Match: Bradshaw attacks Savio as he enters the ring. He whips him before letting Harvey Wippleman attach the strap. Then they fight to the floor and ram each other into the post. Vega gains the advantage. But then a drunk fan spits beer in Savio’s face. Wait a second. That’s no drunk fan!

It’s The Sandman! Tommy Dreamer and Paul Heyman are with him. Vince says a local promotion is making a name for themselves. Bradshaw and Vega return to the ring while security deals with the ECW guys. Both men touch three corners. Savio uses his foot for one. They also whip each other. When Vega almost reaches a fourth buckle, Justin yanks him to the mat. Bradshaw then nails a big boot and a lariat. Savio uses his wheel kick. Neither is enough to stop their opponent. Bradshaw touches three corners again, but Savio also hits them. They play tug-of-war until Bradshaw pulls Vega into the fourth corner.

Thoughts: They reused the finish from Austin/Vega! Four months passed since that encounter. Did they think fans forgot? It’s lazy booking. The fight lacked substance. It was uninteresting. This bout was a backdrop for the ECW invasion. Is this why JBL hates ECW? They overshadowed his PPV debut. (If you were wondering, the ECW appearance was a work. Vince invited them to give ECW some exposure. It’s not the last time the two companies work together.)

Winner: Savio Vega (7:09)

They show a recap of the Jim Cornette/Jose Lothario feud. Cornette mocks Jose for being old. He says they didn’t have history when Jose was in school. His social security number is one. And Jose taught Jonah how to fish. Cornette also claims Vader trained him. We see Jim facing a jobber. Cornette appears to have some trouble until Vader attacks. Lothario counters the mocking by saying Cornette has a big mouth. He’s going to shut it.

While Cornette enters the arena to Vader’s theme, Vince says there’s an incident in the locker room area. They go backstage and give us a long shot of someone attacking Savio Vega. (This guy again? Are they paying Savio by the segment?) It appears to be Razor Ramon and Diesel. The cameraman approaches, so Razor and Diesel escape through a door. Jim Ross sounds smug on commentary. He says, “I told you so!” Mr. Perfect claims he believed him. Vince calls it a ratings ploy. (That’s rich.)

Jose Lothario vs. Jim Cornette

Notes: Shawn Michaels moved on to other things. He told Jose to deal with Cornette. Shawn claimed he doesn’t fight women. They booked a match between the managers. Cornette sought training from Vader. Jim even faced a jobber in a match. He almost lost, but Vader attacked Cornette’s opponent. Meanwhile, Cornette cuts a promo before the match. He says Lothario was a legend in his day. He taught Michaels everything he knows. But Jose is old and broken down. Cornette gives him a chance to turn tail and run or he will beat his brains out. Jose doesn’t take the offer. He enters the arena to Shawn Michaels’ music. (Mr. Perfect suggests he get a new theme.)

The Match: Cornette tries jumping Jose, but Lothario gives him punches and chops. Cornette flops around the ring and begs off. Jose pulls him out of the corner and rams Jim into the buckle. He then punches Cornette a few times and pins him.

Thoughts: They kept it short. It’s the best I can say about this. The match was a dud. Cornette tried his best to make it entertaining. It wasn’t enough. There wasn’t enough substance to make it amusing. But that’s probably for the best. This is better suited for TV than a PPV. I doubt this accounted for many buys.

Winner: Jose Lothario (0:56)

Marc Mero and Faarooq are on opposite sides of the Superstar Line. They are the finalists in the Intercontinental title tournament. They will meet tomorrow on RAW. Mero is fired up. Sunny is animated. Faarooq looks bored out of his mind. (I imagine he’s wondering how much longer he has to wear that helmet.) Jim Ross says the interviews are red hot and uncensored. Vince asks Mr. Perfect for his predictions on the Intercontinental tournament. Perfect says the Wildman has all the asses to be a champion. (Wait, he might have said assets. It sounded like asses.) But Perfect picks Faarooq to win it all.

Then Brian Pillman arrives. They show footage of Bret Hart calling Pillman and Owen liars. Pillman grabs a mic and calls Philadelphia a sewer and a cesspool. He says it’s filled with drug abuse, battered women, and welfare recipients. But Brian wants to bring class. He introduces Owen Hart. Owen says, “You got me instead of Bret!” (He sounds so happy.) Owen claims Bret forgot about his commitment because he’s going senil—or senile. Owen says he’s confused. Bret must be scared. Owen explains Bret isn’t scared of either of them. (But he is a little afraid of Owen.) He’s scared of Stone Cold Steve Austin. Pillman then introduces Austin. Stone Cold says Bret left the WWF when he arrived. He’s at his house. Pillman asks if Austin thinks Bret is a chicken. Austin claims Bret is the slimy substance that runs out the south end of a chicken. Austin then says, “If you put the letter S in front of Hitman, you’ve had my exact opinion of Bret Hart!” (I love that line.) Austin also mocks Bret for caring what the fans think. He promises to beat Bret’s ass if he ever comes back. That’s the bottom line because Stone Cold said so! Pillman then adds, “Philadelphia sucks because I said so!” (Vince apologizes for the comments. I loved them. This is another iconic promo from Austin.)

Next, Vince introduces a video about Mark Henry touring Philly. Henry doesn’t appear on the screen at first. Vince says, “Mark? There he is!” (Does Vince realize this is pre-taped?) We see Mark visiting the Liberty Bell and a statue of George Washington. Mark also pets a horse. Vince says, “He’s bigger than a horse!” Vince then sings the praises of the new arena. He calls it a magnificent edifice.

While Owen & Bulldog enter the arena for their match, we go backstage to Dok Hendrix. He gives an update on Cornette. A physician attends to Jim. Clarence Mason promises legal action. He has a dazed Cornette sign some papers. (They later reveal the papers were Owen & Bulldog’s contracts. Mason claims it was an accident, but he wants to make the best of it. He will be their new manager!)

Tag Team Title Match: Owen Hart & The British Bulldog (w/ Clarence Mason) vs. The Smoking Gunns (c) (w/ Sunny)

Notes: Bulldog and Owen faced each other in the Intercontinental title tournament. Sunny did commentary. She scouted the two men as potential clients. Her tone changed when Bulldog landed in her lap. She called him a pervert for trying to look up her skirt. Bulldog and Owen were unsuccessful in the tourney. They turned their attention to the tag team titles. Meanwhile, Sunny unfurls her giant portrait before the match. But someone defaced it! They drew an afro, glasses, and a beard on her. Then they wrote a special note for Bulldog and Owen at the bottom. Both men have a good laugh, but Sunny is distraught. (Also, Billy is preoccupied with Sunny during the Gunns’ entrance. It annoys Bart.)

The Match: Clarence Mason arriving distracts Owen. But Owen catches Billy Gunn with takeovers and a crossbody. The Gunns attempt some double-teaming until Bulldog tags. Owen & Bulldog return the favor after Owen chop blocks Bart’s knee. Then they focus on Bart’s leg with strikes, holds, and submissions. Bulldog also hits a stalling suplex and celebrates with a flip. Then Owen nails an enziguri and puts Bart in a spinning toe hold. Next, The Gunns take control when they pull Davey to the floor. Billy rams him into the steps. The Gunns hit a tandem corner splash and The Sidewinder. But Mason distracts the ref and Owen nails a flying axehandle. Billy recovers, so the double-teaming continues. However, Bulldog pushes Bart into Billy. Billy shoves his brother in frustration. This allows Bulldog to land a running powerslam for the win.

Thoughts: This was a solid match. It wasn’t thrilling, but it was decent. I liked the finish. Plus, I’m glad Owen & Bulldog are the champs. I always enjoyed this team. They were entertaining. (I laughed at Bulldog leading the crowd in chanting, “Bart sucks Billy.”) Owen & Bulldog are the team this division needed.

Winners: Owen & Bulldog (New Champions) (10:59)

After the match, Sunny is furious. She gets a mic and yells at the Gunns. Vince calls her a petulant child. Sunny says she wasted her time and money on the Gunns. She calls them cowboy wannabes. Then she says, “You’re fired fired fired!” Sunny leaves, but Billy tries convincing her to return.

Then Vince sends it to Kevin Kelly. He’s in the bowels of the building with Mankind and Paul Bearer. Kevin asks if Paul Bearer will lead Mankind to the WWF title. Bearer says Kelly hit the nail on the head. He then blames the creatures of the night for what he did to The Undertaker. He also blames the Kliq for what will happen to Shawn Michaels. Kevin then turns to Mankind. He’s cradling the urn. Kelly asks Mankind what’s in store for Michaels. Mankind answers misery. He says he lives to make Michaels and the Kliq miserable. He wants them to feel the pain he felt his whole life. It’s his destiny to hear Shawn’s gurgled screams and ruptured liver. When he holds his hand aloft with the title, they’ll all have a nice day. (This was a great Mankind promo. He does that anguished voice so well. Plus, I liked the dark lighting for this. It helped set the mood.)

Mark Henry vs. Jerry the King Lawler

Notes: This feud stems from their confrontation at SummerSlam. King invited Henry to The King’s Court. Lawler mocked him for not winning medals at the Olympics. Henry said he didn’t like Jerry because he’s not very nice. Then Lawler threw coffee in Henry’s face on Superstars. He also slapped Mark during the Free for All. Lawler does his usual jokes during his entrance, but Vince speaks over him. Jerry has a good line about the Olympics. He says he watched to see if all synchronized swimmers drown when one drowns. Then he promises to give Henry a wrestling lesson.

The Match: Both men trade headlocks and hammerlocks until Henry shoves Lawler into the corner. Jerry attempts a slam. He fails and Henry turns it into a sloppy press slam. Then Lawler tries shoulder blocks. Those also fail. Jerry charges and Henry sends him flying out of the ring. Lawler collides with the guardrail. (That’s a surprising bump for Lawler.) But Jerry fetches an object from his tights. He nails loaded punches. Henry shakes them off and returns the strikes. He then places Lawler in a Canadian Backbreaker for the submission.

Thoughts: For a first match, it wasn’t terrible. They kept it basic enough to not expose Henry. Lawler took some surprising bumps to make him look good. I didn’t hate it. The crowd reacted well to it. It was inoffensive and served its purpose. Plus, they kept it the right length.

Winner: Mark Henry (5:13)

After the bout, The New Rockers attack Henry. He dispatches them. Then Triple H attacks. Henry press slams him onto the Rockers. (The punishment continues for poor Hunter.) Lawler checks on his henchmen and begs Henry to back off. Henry celebrates in the ring while fireworks explode.

Next, Vince plugs the next PPV. It’s In Your House: Buried Alive. Vince says The Undertaker will face Mankind in an unsanctioned match. Someone will literally be buried alive! Jim Ross wonders why the WWF didn’t sanction it. Vince says it’s because of the danger. He also says the WWF title won’t be on the line if Mankind wins it because it’s an unsanctioned match.

Then they recap the Undertaker/Goldust feud. Todd Pettengill calls The Undertaker an enigma. Few had the temerity to challenge Taker in mind games. But Goldust and Mankind embrace the bizarre. The psyche is their playground. They show clips of Mankind’s attacks on Taker. We also see Taker and Goldust’s previous matches. That’s followed by footage of Paul Bearer’s betrayal. Todd says there must be a winner between Taker and Goldust. It has to be by pinfall.

Final Curtain Match: The Undertaker vs. Goldust (w/ Marlena)

Notes: Since Mankind is in the main event, Taker will finish his issues with Goldust. They call this a Final Curtain Match. There must be a winner. It can only end by pinfall. The commentators speculated about Goldust being the mastermind behind Bearer’s betrayal. (Do I want to know how he accomplished that? Does Goldust have a thing for chubby morticians? On a side note, Taker no longer wears his hat and coat. He doesn’t have a manager to give them to. He changes his look soon.)

The Match: Taker attacks Goldust and whips him around the ring. Taker nails a choke toss and a leg drop, so Goldust regroups. He hotshots Taker on the ropes and Marlena slaps him. Goldust then follows with a neckbreaker, but Taker rises. He gives Goldust a big boot, a suplex, a hip toss, and Old School. Goldust regroups again and grabs some gold dust. He throws it in Taker’s face. Taker swings wildly because he can’t see. Goldust capitalizes with punches, clotheslines, and throws. He also claws at Taker’s eyes. Taker rallies with punches and chokes, but Goldust counters with a powerslam. He then rubs himself. But Taker nails a jumping clothesline and crotches Goldust on the ropes. Taker lands a chokeslam off the ropes and follows with the Tombstone for the victory.

Thoughts: I don’t hate this as much as some. It wasn’t great, but I liked the story of Goldust blinding Taker. My only gripe is it dragged when Goldust controlled the match. It was decent at best. The crowd reacted well to parts of it. But I’m glad to see the feud end.

Winner: The Undertaker (10:23)

Kevin Kelly is backstage with Shawn Michaels. Kevin mentions Mankind’s comments. Shawn says it’s the first time he’s nervous defending the WWF title. He’s wrestling the wackiest cat in the World Wrestling Federation. He knows he can’t out-wrestle him. Shawn doesn’t know where Mankind is coming from. Kevin calls Mankind and Bearer unorthodox. He brings up Paul Bearer using a casket to intimidate Shawn. Shawn says it’s not politically correct to call Mankind unorthodox. Then Shawn makes fun of himself. He says he doesn’t have a lot going on upstairs. (Does he have half the brain that Mankind has?) That means the mind games won’t work on him. Shawn says he’s nervous as it is. He has no idea how to deal with them. Shawn says he will think on the job. (This was an odd promo. His heart didn’t seem into it. That contrasts with how much Shawn ends up liking this match.)

WWF Title Match: Shawn Michaels (c) (w/ Jose Lothario) vs. Mankind (w/ Paul Bearer)

Notes: Shawn had a warm-up match with Goldust on RAW. Michaels recently posed for Play Girl. Since they toned down Goldust’s character, we didn’t get the expected reaction. (Imagine if that match happened a few months prior.) Meanwhile, druids wheel a casket to the ring while Mankind’s music plays. Paul Bearer follows behind it. He then opens the casket to reveal Mankind inside. Bearer hands him the urn, so Mankind cradles it. Michaels then does his entrance with fireworks. Mr. Perfect says he doesn’t know what people see in this guy. Mankind rocks back and forth in the corner while Shawn poses.

The Match: Mankind attacks with punches and elbows. He then sends Shawn to the floor with a Cactus Clothesline. Mankind lifts the mats, but Shawn kicks them into Mankind’s face and stomps on them. Then Shawn follows with flying crossbodies, axehandles, and an elbow. But Mankind avoids Sweet Chin Music and regroups with the urn. Next, Mankind is out of place for a crossbody. They trade stiff punches because of it. (This was on purpose. Shawn poked fun at himself for his tirade at SummerSlam.) The fight spills to the floor and Mankind sets up a table. But Shawn dives over it. He rams Mankind’s knee into the casket and suplexes him knee-first onto the steps. Michaels then uses a chair and attacks Mankind’s leg. Shawn puts him in various leg holds, including a Figure Four. When Mankind escapes, he jabs a pen into his leg to get feeling back into it.

Mankind gains the advantage with a running knee to the head. He also catches Shawn in a tree of woe and drops some elbows. They head to the floor and Shawn avoids another knee. He sends Mankind into the steps and the post. Then Shawn pushes Mankind into a hangman spot. But Mankind locks in the Mandible Claw while in the ropes! Mankind tries it again on the floor, so Shawn counters with a chair. The ref is busy with Paul Bearer and doesn’t see it. Shawn also tries breaking Mankind’s claw hand. Mankind answers with a Cactus Elbow and a Double-Arm DDT. When neither work, he rips out his own hair. Mankind gathers chairs and even tries putting Michaels in the casket. Shawn responds with a jumping forearm. Next, they fight on the ropes. Mankind tries a back superplex onto the table. But Shawn reverses and both men crash into it. Bearer then distracts the ref while Mankind climbs the ropes with a chair. Shawn bounces off another and superkicks the chair into Mankind’s face! However, Vader arrives and attacks to cause a DQ.

Thoughts: This was great. I loved the intensity and the violence. Mankind took his usual nasty bumps. The action escalated as the match progressed. Table spots were still rare in the WWF. They had a good one. Plus, I loved the story of Shawn trying to dismantle Mankind. He attacked both his leg and his hand. Both Shawn and Mick called this one of the best matches of their careers. It was on both their DVDs. The finish was disappointing, but the rest of the match made up for it.

Winner: Shawn Michaels (by DQ) (26:25)

Shawn fends off Vader and backdrops him over the ropes. But Paul Bearer clocks Shawn with the urn. Then Sid arrives to fight with Vader. They brawl down the aisle. Mankind puts the Mandible Claw on Shawn and asks for Bearer to open the casket. He does, but The Undertaker is inside! Taker pushes Mankind over the ropes and chases him to the back. Mankind and Bearer retreat. Meanwhile, Shawn recovers while The Fink announces him as the winner. Shawn celebrates while Vince sings his praises. (He goes overboard, but that’s not surprising.) Vince and Jim Ross also plug Buried Alive again before showing some replays.

The Good:

• Shawn/Mankind was outstanding.

• Austin’s promo was memorable.

• Mankind’s promo was good.

• The tag title match was solid.

• The ECW invasion.

The Bad:

• The fake Razor & Diesel stuff.

• Lothario/Cornette.

• They reused the Strap Match finish.

Performer of the Night:

It has to be Mankind. Shawn’s performance was good too, but Mankind shined. He proved he belonged in a main event spot. He took his usual nasty bumps and played his character perfectly.

Final Thoughts:

I’m more positive about this show than some. The main event certainly saved it. But I didn’t entirely hate the undercard. I liked the tag title match, and Austin’s promo was great. You can skip the first two matches, but the rest of the show is better. I highly recommend the Shawn/Mankind bout.

Thank you for reading. My next review is the WWF’s In Your House: Buried Alive. Look for it next Sunday!